By Plastic Surgeon Dr Dirk Kremer. 

Over the last decade, technology has come on leaps and bounds, and the cosmetic surgery industry has been able to benefit from it greatly with improved techniques and procedures working in unison with vastly enhanced instruments. This has helped plastic surgeons deliver much safer procedures with ever-improving results. As this technology continues to advance, plastic surgery continues to embrace it, and some of the things being discussed regarding artificial intelligence and augmented reality is truly exciting.

New technology can help both plastic surgeons and patients

It’s believed new plastic surgery simulation and imaging technologies can help plastic surgeons better prepare for complex cosmetic procedures, while providing patients with a much better idea of the final surgical result.

It can be difficult to imagine exactly what you’d look like with facial implants, or whether you will suit the results of the breast augmentation procedure you’re about to undertake. Computer scientists and medical professionals are working together to vastly improve this through 3D imaging, augmented reality and other tech-related wonders, so that patients can view the projected results of their upcoming surgeries, while it should also help improve the technique of the cosmetic procedure itself.

Understanding projected procedure results

Last year, researchers created an automated classifier for facial beauty. This was then trained using facial features that were extracted from 165 different images of what were deemed as “attractive” female faces, which were also independently graded by humans. A decision algorithm then assessed a set of descriptive attributes, before determining attractive facial features that most closely resembled to post-operative target variables.

The automated classifier was found to assess beauty in much the same was as humans typically do - although, it can of course be argued that beauty is very much a matter of opinion, and these will differ from person to person.

A quantitative measurement of aesthetic improvements was able to set expected results following a plastic surgery procedure, meaning patients could be encouraged to undergo procedures that offer favourable improvements, and become aware of the ones that will offer only marginal improvements.

Artificial intelligence could become an important new tool

At present, there is a lot of hype and talk surrounding artificial intelligence in plastic surgery. It seems clear that the industry is continuing to gradually move forward in line with technological advancements, and these narrowly-focused algorithms trained on images, videos, and the history of patients could become an important new instrument for a plastic surgeon. Anything that offers earlier detection of problems, and an accurate insight into projected cosmetic surgery results can only be a good thing.

If you’re considering plastic surgery and would like to discuss this with an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with me today to book an initial consultation. You can call us on 0845 519 7232 or send an e-mail over to info@harleystreetaesthetics.com.
The Harley Street Aesthetics offices are based on Harley Street in the heart of London.